DOCUMENT ACCESSIBILITY / POWERPOINT

Make your PowerPoint easier to follow

A good presentation works for someone watching the screen, listening to your talk, or reading the slides later. Give each person a clear route through the same information.

Start with the first stepKeep review notes

PowerPoint presentations (.pptx) · Seven practical steps · Reviewed 18 September 2026

START HERE

Start with the editable .pptx file. Keep an original copy, then work through the slides in order. PowerPoint features vary by platform, version, and update channel; the linked Microsoft instructions include those differences.

Work through your PowerPoint file

STEP 01

Give every slide a clear starting point

Slide titles help people find their place and move between topics.

  1. Choose a built-in layout with a title and content placeholders. Put your words into those placeholders before adding extra text boxes.
  2. Write a distinct, useful title in the title placeholder. Replace repeated titles such as ‘Results’ with the particular result each slide explains.
  3. Use PowerPoint’s bullet or numbering controls for lists. Keep actual text as text instead of pasting a screenshot of a paragraph.
  4. Give the file a meaningful name, such as ‘Community-workshop-access-plan.pptx’. Check that the document title also identifies the presentation.

Check it: Read just the slide titles. Can someone understand the route through the presentation?

Microsoft: accessible PowerPoint presentations · Section508.gov: PowerPoint authoring and testing guide (PDF)

STEP 02

Put the content in a sensible reading order

Moving a box on the slide does not necessarily change when a screen reader encounters it.

  1. Decide the intended sequence: usually the title, then each idea with its supporting image or explanation.
  2. In supported Windows desktop versions, open Review > Check Accessibility. For a reading-order warning, choose Verify object order to open the Reading Order pane.
  3. In the Reading Order pane, numbered objects run from first at the top to last at the bottom. Reorder them and exclude only genuinely decorative objects.
  4. If you use the Selection Pane, available through Home > Arrange > Selection Pane on Mac and the web, its object stack is read in reverse: bottom first. Do not apply that reversal to the Reading Order pane.
  5. Check overlapping objects after reordering because their visible layering may change. Recheck slides after adding or copying content.

Check it: Follow the objects in sequence. Does each explanation arrive before the detail that depends on it?

Microsoft: the Reading Order pane · Microsoft: accessible PowerPoint presentations

STEP 03

Make the meaning of visuals available in words

A picture’s subject is not always the reason you included it.

  1. Add concise alt text that explains each informative image’s purpose in this slide. Review automatic descriptions for accuracy and relevance.
  2. For a chart, state the main finding and provide the important values in accessible text or a simple table. A description such as ‘bar chart’ leaves the finding out.
  3. Use real tables with clear column headings and a header row. Avoid merged or split cells; move complicated data to a separate accessible document with a clear link.
  4. Mark purely decorative artwork as decorative. Keep essential instructions and image text available as ordinary slide text.

Check it: Without looking at the pictures, can someone still explain the slide’s main point and find the supporting information?

Microsoft: accessible PowerPoint presentations · Section508.gov: PowerPoint authoring and testing guide (PDF)

STEP 04

Make each slide comfortable to read

Dense slides become harder to follow on a small screen or across a room.

  1. Give one main idea enough space. Split crowded slides and move supporting detail to an accessible handout instead of shrinking the text.
  2. Use clear lettering and test text and chart labels at the viewing distance your audience will use. No single font size suits every room or screen.
  3. Measure text contrast: aim for at least 4.5:1 for ordinary text, or 3:1 for large text (18 pt regular or 14 pt bold). Those sizes define contrast categories, not suitable presentation sizes.
  4. Pair colors with words, patterns, or symbols. Label chart series directly where practical and give links meaningful names.

Check it: Try the slides on the presentation display and a smaller screen. Can you read the labels and distinguish every category?

W3C: making presentations and events accessible · Section508.gov: PowerPoint authoring and testing guide (PDF)

STEP 05

Prepare the audio and video before presenting

Captions convey speech and meaningful sounds. Description conveys visual information that the soundtrack leaves out.

  1. Add synchronized captions to embedded video. Correct names, numbers, timing, speaker identification, and important sounds in any generated captions.
  2. For an inserted video in supported Windows and Mac versions, select the video, then Playback > Insert Captions > Insert Captions. In the web version, select Video > Edit Captions, then Insert captions in the pane.
  3. Use a caption format your version supports; WebVTT is widely supported, while SRT support depends on the version. Play the result in the app and setup you will use.
  4. Provide narration or an audio-described version for essential visual action. Offer a descriptive transcript as well; alt text on the video object does not describe everything that happens inside it.

Check it: Watch with sound off, then listen without the picture. Check what information is missing in each case.

Microsoft: add captions to PowerPoint media · W3C: accessible audio and video

STEP 06

Help people follow the live presentation

The way you deliver the talk matters alongside the file.

  1. Share accessible slides and supporting material ahead of time. People need direct access to the content; a screen share alone does not provide that.
  2. Speak the meaning of charts, demonstrations, and audience responses. Say what changed or where to go instead of relying on ‘as you can see’ or a pointer.
  3. Use a microphone, speak clearly, and pause between ideas. Repeat audience questions into the microphone before answering.
  4. PowerPoint offers automatic live subtitles in supported Microsoft 365 desktop and web versions. Check the spoken language, microphone, connection, and accuracy during rehearsal. Arrange captioning that meets your audience’s needs; live subtitles are separate from captions attached to a video.

Check it: Rehearse with the actual meeting setup. Confirm participants can access the file and follow the spoken and captioned information.

W3C: making presentations and events accessible · Microsoft: live captions and subtitles

STEP 07

Check the version people will receive

A saved deck, an exported PDF, and a recording are different things to review.

  1. Run PowerPoint’s Accessibility Checker, investigate its findings, and review meaning and reading order yourself. A clear checker result does not prove accessibility.
  2. Reopen the final .pptx and check slide navigation, links, media controls, and captions with a keyboard. Review slides with a screen reader, including any complex layouts.
  3. For a PDF, use an export option that preserves accessibility tags, then inspect the PDF’s structure and reading order separately.
  4. For a recording, check the exported video and its player for captions, visual description, and usable controls. Do not assume live subtitles or embedded caption tracks survived export; publish a checked transcript alongside it.

Check it: Open the exact files and links you plan to share, using the same access permissions your audience will have.

Microsoft: accessible PowerPoint presentations · W3C: accessible audio and video

What that looks like in practice

A title that tells you where you are

Before

Three slides titled ‘Update’.

Try this

‘Workshop dates’, ‘Changes to the venue’, and ‘What to bring’.

Each slide now has a name someone can recognize in a list.

The finding behind a chart

Before

Alt text: ‘Attendance chart’.

Try this

‘Workshop attendance rose from 24 people in May to 41 in June.’ Provide the remaining values in a simple table.

The reader gets the point and can still examine the detail.

Directions people can hear

Before

‘Enter over here,’ while pointing at a floor plan.

Try this

‘Use the north entrance on Palm Road. The check-in desk is immediately on your left.’

The directions remain useful without seeing the pointer.

When something still isn’t working

A slide looks ordered but reads unpredictably.

Review its object sequence. Check which pane is open before deciding whether to read the list from the top or bottom.

The checker accepts an unhelpful image description.

Replace the description with the information this audience needs. Presence of alt text is different from useful alt text.

A spreadsheet screenshot is unreadable.

Show the key finding, then share the detailed data in an accessible format instead of making people enlarge a picture.

Captions work in the deck but disappear from a recording.

Add and verify captions in the final video workflow, then test playback where the recording will be published.

Go to the original instructions

App menus and features can change. Use the instructions for your version, then check the file people will receive.

Original explanations and examples informed by these references. This guide supports practical checks; it does not replace a complete accessibility evaluation.